Fluid-controlled power-transmitting mechanism.



A. SUNDH.

FLUID GONTBOLLED POWER TRANSMITTING MEGHANISM.

96390923 APPLIGATIOK PILED AUG. 5, 1909. Patented 5,

` '2 SHEETS-SEEBT I.

w \N W N QB W APPLIOATION FILBD AUG. 5, 1909.

p To all whom 'it camera:

. .eneosr sunna, or roman; new wo rn-eoneaomnn rownarmnsmrmne aaacnemsmeeaeea s ec-matto; of Letters Patent.

Patemied July 5, wie.,

.application mea ugu'st 5, eoa 'Serial ao. lLBB.

Be it lmown that I, Answer SUNDH, a citizen 'of the 'United States,residingat Yonkers, in the'county of Westchester and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Fluid-Controlled Power-Tren&

mitting Mechanisn, of which thefollowing speed and torque, .and in'general may be v used wherever varable speed mechansm is required fortransmitting power from a driving element to driven mechanism. p

An object of my invention is to provide reliable speed and powerchanging gearing which can be operated without an danger ofbreaking andwithout the possbility of thegearing becoming interlocked as the speedis being changed, the speed of the driven mechanism being substantially'inversely proportional to the driving torque applied thereto. i

It is a well known fact that with speed changinggearin'g of the type nowin common use, unless great care is exercised in o erating the same tochange .the speed, t e gear teeth may be stripped or the gear' wheelsbecome interlocled. The interlocking of the gears takes place when adriving gear is broughtinto mesh with a driven. 'ear before beingdisengaged from the preceing gear.

vide a Construction in which the changes in' the speedmay be madesmoothly under all conditions and so thatif felt at all, they will bealmost imperceptible.

The invention further aims to provide controlling mechanism for thespeed changing gearing which does not require a skilled operator, andwith which the manual labor required for operation is reduced to aminimum.

. Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the scope ofthe invention being defined n the appended claims in which are set forththe novel 'combination of elements. The arran ement of gears issimilarto that shown an' claimed broadly in my co-pend- 'ingapplc'ati'on for patent on magnetically controlled power transmission'mechanism, Serial No. 511382, filed Aug. 5, 1909.

Referring to the accon anying drawings,` Figura 1 is a sectional pl mView of a construction embcdyin'g my invention; Fig. 2

-is a sectional elevation' taken substantially on the plane indicatedby' the line 2-2 of F 1; "Fg. 3 s a detail View, on a reduced sea e, ofthe controlling lever and associated parts; Fig. 4: is a detail View ofthe pump; Fg. 5 is a sectional plan View of a modification; F ig. -6 isa section'al elevation substantially as indicated by the line 6-6 ofFig.

5 and Fig. 7 is a View of the valve mcchanism used with the constructionshown in Fig. 5. 4

' The gearing is inclosed in a cylindrical drum .or casing 1 which maybe made of cast iron or other suitable material, and is provided withfeet 2 by means of which it may be bolted to a suitable support. Thecasing 1 is provided with removable end plates or heads 3 and 4 Securedin position by means of bolts 5. A shaft 6, which may be terncd thedriving member, extends longitudinally through the center of the casing1 and is journaled at one end in the head 3, a suitable stufiing-box orgland 7 being provided to prevent the escape of a liquid from within thecasing, and also to form a hearing for the shaft. The power for'Operating the drive shaft 6 may be supplied by an internal combustionengine, an electric motor, or other prime mover,`depending largely uponthe kind of machinery that .is to be driven. Loosely mounted on the freeend of the shaft (i -is a sleeve 8 which, together with a sprocket wheel9 keyed thereto, may be te'med the driven member. The shaft 6 and sleeve8 are adapted to be connected through a train of gearing, as will befully described later. The sprocket wheel 9 may be connected by suitablegearing to the'mechanism to be driven.

The gearing for tranmitting power from the driving member to the drivenmember conprises a disk or clutch member A keyed to the driving member6, and a plurality of disks or sections B, C, D and E loosely mounted onthe driving member 6. The

section' D will first be described and then the differences between itand the other sec'- tions noted. tAs shown, this section' comprises abody portion provided with an annular fiange 26, tleinner surface ofwhich forms a frction clutch face. On 'the front face of the disk'25 isan expansible clutch member comprising a pair of arms 27 and 27connected to the disk by'a pivot pin 28, The outer surfaces of theseclutch arms are shaped to conform to the inner surface of the casing 1,and are normally held in fric tional contact with the casing by means ofcol spring's 29. Each of these springs has one end in a recesed lu 30formed on the disk 25, and the opposte end in a rece'ss formed in'theclutch arm. The clutch arms' 27 and 27' are adapted to be disengagedfrom the casing 1 by means of a fluid motor comprising a pisten 31adapted-to reciprocate in a cylindrical opening formed in the disk 25. Apair of links 32 are connected at their inner ends to the iston 31 bymeans of a pivot pin 33, and at t er outer ends are pivoted to theclutch arms 27, 27'. An inner clutch member is also carried by the disk25 and comprises 'a pair of arms 34 and 34' con nectedto the disk by apivot in 35. These arms are ada ted to frictiona ly engage the flange 26of t e section C, but are normally held out of contact with said fiangeby links 36 connecting the free ends of the clutch arms to the pivot pin'33. J ournaled in the disk D is a stud shaft 17 extending through thedisk and having keyed 'to its front and 'rear ends respectively, toothedgear wheels 16 and 18. The section C is substantially like the section Dand needs no detailed description The section E is similar to thesections C and D except that the flange 26 is omitted. The section B isonly provided with the inner pair of clutch arms 34, 34', which areadapted to engage the flange 26 formed on the clutch member A. The hubof the section B is provided with gear teeth i formin a gear wheel 10.Between the sections and D is a gear member consisting of gear wheels 14and 15 Secured together or ormed iii-one iece and loosely mounted on thedrive sha t 6. -A similar member comprising gear wheels 19 and 20 islocated between the sections D and E.-

The motor pistons 31 are operated by liquidpressure supplied by a smallgear-pump comprising a pair of intermeshng pump gears 38 and 39, (seeFigs. 1 and 4). The gear 38'is keyed to the shaft 6, and the gear 39 ismounted on a shaft 40 journaled in the pum casing 41. The latter, asshown, is rovide with an integral bracket 42 bolte to the drum 1. Thepump .casing 41. is provided with a cylindrical extension 43 surroundingthe drive shaft and forming a pressure chamber for the pump. A pressurepi e 44 leads from the lower or pressure side o the pump casing 41 tothe pressure chamber 43. A suply pipe 45 extends from a point near theEottom of the drum 1 to the upper or intake side of the pump. A reliefvalve 46 is provided to prevent excessive pressure of the li uid in (heressure chamber 43.' This 'cylinders of the sections B, C, D, E. Thesesections and the shaft 6 are provided with a'nnulan recesses 6' at theends of the tubes' in order to maintain the tubes continually. incommunication with 'the motor cylinders as the shaft rotates'.

Mounted on the drive shaft is aslide valve V in theform of a sleeve,which is slidable longitudnally of the drive -shaft This valve isoperated by means of a hand lever 54 (see Fg 3), pivoted at 55 to abracket 56 bolted to the casing 1. The lever 54 has a bifur'c'ated arm57 n engagement with a rod 58 extending through the head 3 of the vcasing and slidable longitudinally therein. The inner end of the rod 58carries a bifircated arm 59 which straddlesthe valve V and is ;provided.with lugs 60, which extend into an annular recess 61, formed on thevalve V. When the slide valve is in its innermost position, as shown inFig. 1, an annular splace 62 formed between the valve and drive s aft,is in communication with the pressu're chamber through a port 63, andwith the exterior of the valve through a port 62'. The Operating lever54 is provided with a latch 64 coperating with a rack 64' for lookingthe valve V in any desired position The operation of the invention willbe understood from the following descriptionz-Assiming that the various'parts are -in the position shown in Figs.` 1 and 2, and

that the driving shaft 6 is being rotated at a'practically constantspeed by any suitable motor, the gear pnm will op'erate to cause a localcirculation o the liquid within the drum 1. I The pump c'perates in` awell understood manner to' draw the li uid in through 'the intake pipe'45 and orce it through' the pipe 44 'into the pressure Cham-- ber. Thelatter 'being open through 'the ports 63 and 62' to the drum, the liquidcan circulate freely so that very little power is used in driving thepump. The clutch member A at this time `rotates freely with the driveshaft, and the letter rotates freely within the disks B, C, I), E, andalso the i 'tion' i ses o-::

drivenmember or s leeve 8, so that no motion- 'is transmitted to thedriven mechanism; 'The disks C, D, E are held against rotation by theouter friction clutches, which at this time, are held against thecasing 1. If now, the controll'ng leveris operated to move the valveVoutwardly, the tube 50 'will first be opened to the pressure chamberand the port 63 closed. This cuts oli the free circulation, and `the liuid under pressure from the pump will be i orced through the tube 50 andoperate the motor p'iston 31 of the .section B.- The clutch arms 34 and34' of this section will therefore bebrought into frietional engagementwith the disk A and thereb cause the section B to rotate with the driveshaft. The motion is now transmitted through the' train of gears to thedriven member` as followsz-The gear rotates the gear 11 and with it theshaft 12 and pinion 13. The latter drives the gears 14 and 15 at areduced angular'velocity, and the gear 15 drives the gears 16 'and 18.The

gear 18 drives the gears'19 and 20 with a e urther 'reduction in speed.The 'gear 20 drives the gears 21, 23 and 24, thereby rotating-thespi-ceket wheel 9. It will thus be seen that there is a positive drivingconnection fromthe disk B to the sprocket wheel 9. Each gear at' thistime rotates about its own axis, and owing'to the relative diameters ofthe gears, the speed of the driven member is only a fraction of that ofthe driveshaft. If now, the valve V is moved outwardly another step, thepipe 51 i will be. opened to the pressure chamber, and

cause the'motor piston 31 carried by the secto be moved outwardly andoperate -the outer andinner clutch members. That is, the outer clutcharms 27 and 27' are withdrawn from the casing 1 and permit the section Cto rotate, and the nner clutch arms 34, 34' are moved into frictionalengagement with section B. The disks A, B and C are now held by thefriction clutches against independent rotation, so that they rotatetogether with the drive shaft as a unit. As the disks B and C areclutched together, the gears 11 and 13 are. locked against rotationabout their own axis. The'gear 13, in turn looks the gears 14 and 15against rotation independently of the section C. In other words, thegears 14 and 15 are now connected to rotate with the drive shaft 6,andat the same angular velocity. The motion is transmitted from the1gear 15 through the gears 16, 18, 19, etc. to t e' sprocket wheel 9,the same as before the section C was released from the casing. The speedof the driven member however is increased as the gears 14 and 15 aredriven at a higher speed than when operated by the rotati'on of thespeed 4 reducing gears 11 and '13. If the valve V is given the furthermovement to the right so.

as to open the pipe 52 to pressure, the

operated. to release said section' from the drum 1 and connect it to thesection C' so that it will be' rotated. The gears 16 and- 18 are nowlocked as the gears- 11 and 13, so that the gears 19 an'd20 rotate withthe drive shefit, thereb efecting a furtherincrease in the speed o thedriven mechanism. The final movement of the valve V to the right cansesthe clutches crried bythe section E to operate and release said sectionfrom the drum 1, and connect it to the section D. The

sections A, B, C, D, E are now all locked together 'and to the driveshaft, and rotate as a unit. The gears 21* and 23 being locked againstrotation about their own axis, Carry" the sleeve 8 and sprocket wheel 9with the clutch disks so that these arts are rotated at the samevelocity as the rive sha-ft. The clutch carrying disks rotating togetheract as a fly wheel for the internal combustion engine or other rimemover from which the power is supp ied.

By moving the slide valve back toward initial position, the pipes 53,52, 5.1 and are successively cut ofi from the pressure 'and connectedthroughthe annular' space 62 and port 62' with the exhaust' side of thepump. When the pipe 53 is connectedwith the exhaust, the pressure on themotor pis-` ton in the section E is removed'and the springs 29 apply theouter clutch arms to the casing 1 and release the inner clutch arms fromthe flange 26 on the section D, thereby effecting a reduction in thespeed of the driven member. As the pipes 52, 51 and 50 are connected toth'e exhaust, the s eed is further reduced and the drive' shaft nallydisconnected from the driven member. Any de- 'sired intermediate speedmay be maintained by locking the controllinglever 54 in a correspondingposition. The latch 64 is adapt- -clutches carriecl by the section D'will be ed to engage a separate notch in the rack 64' with, therebysimplifying the mechanism and avoiding the annoyance and work as' 'wellas the expense incident to keeping packings in proper condition. As thegear pump is operated icontinuously, pressure' w-ill be constantlyapplied to the motor pistons while their ports are o en to the pressurechamber, and any lea age that may occur will be provided' for. Anysurplus liquid pumped into the pressure chamber finds its'escape at therelief valve 46, The 'power consumed by the gear p`1`mp `is verysmall,"'whereas the advantage obtaned by having the fluid circulatedcontinuously, and thereby dispensin with troublesome packings, as beforeindicated, is of considerable -practical importance. The li uid employeds preferably a lubricating oi which serves to keep all of the bearingsand themovable A fied Construction comprising a difleren't form ofclutch mechanism. Each of the sections B, C', D' and E' is provided withtwo piston motors for Operating the clutches, the

. motors being connected to the liquid pressure supply'by pairs of tubes50', 51', 52' and 53'. 'Each of themotor pistons 31' has pivoted at itsouter end a clutch member 7 O which extends over the outer surface ofthe adjacent flange 26. Rods 72 are connected to the clutch members 70on opposite sides of each piston, and extend through 'lugs 73. Springs74: are mounted on these rods between said lugs and washers on the endsof the rods. When the liquid pressure is cut off from the motor pistons31', the sprngs 74 hold the clutch members 7 0 in frictional contactwith the flange 26, and when pressure is applied to the pistons theyrelease the clutch members 70 from the disk flanges and move them intoengagement with the casing 1. As shown in Fi 6, two sets of the gearwheels 16, etc., carred by the rotatingdisks, may be provided. Thismakes a stronger Construction and provides an evenly balanced arranement of the gearing, and is especially -a apted for heavy service.Obviously, two or more sets of these gear wheels might also be used inconnection with the form of clutch mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The operation of the Construction shown in Fi'gs. 5 and 6 is similar tothat already' described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4:. It will benoted however,4that n this'instance, liquid 'pressure on the motorpistons is initially required to hold the clutch members against thecasing 1. The valve V is therefore initially held in its outermostposition, as shown in Fig. 7, so that pressure is supplied through thepipes 50', 51', 52", 53',

to the motor istons As the valve V is moved inwardly, the pipes 50' arefirst connected with the exhaust and 'permit the clutch memberscarriedby, the section B" to be released .from the casing and moved intofrictional contact with the disk A. The section B' will therefore berotated with the drive shaft and the gear 19 will act as the drivinggear, the motion being transmitted through the train of gears to thedriven v member as explained in connection with Fig. 1. The continuedinward. movement of the valve V permits the' operation of the clutchmembers carried bythe section C', D' and E' to successively release saidsections from the casing and connect them to the preceding sections,thereby efl'ecting the acceleration of the driven mechanism.

'Various changes inthe details of construction and arrangements of partsmight be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scopeof the invention; I wish therefore nottobe limited tothe particular constructions herein disclosed. 4

What, I claim as new and desire to secure k by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. The combination with a driving element and a driven element, of atrain of gears connecting saidelements, clutch me'chanism controllingthe relative movement of said' gears, and means for Operating saidclutch mechanism by liquid pressure.

2. The combination with a driving ele- 'ment and a driven element, of'atrain of gearing forming a mechanical driving connection between saidelements, and means operable by fluid pressure'for varying the relativespeed of 'said elements without breaking said connection.

3. In power transmtting mechansm, the

'combination with a driving member and a driven member, of a' train ofgears connecting said members, and means operated by fluid pressure forefl`ecting a variation in the relative movement of the gears withoutbreaking said connection.

4. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a drivingelement and a driven element, of a train of gears `orming a positivemechanical driving 'connection between said elements, and means operatedby fluid pressure for varyin the relative move-' ment of said gears andt ereby varying the relative speeds of said elements without in.-terruptng the continuity of said train of gears. v I

5. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a drivingmember and a driven member,'of gearing connecting said members, clutchmechanism controlling the operation of said gearing and operable to varthe relative s eed of said members wit outbreaking sad connection, apump operated by said driving member, and means operated by liquidpressure from the pmp -for Operating said clutch'mechanism.

&63,092

element, rotary members, clutch mechanism, fluid motors, a pumpconnected to the driving element, and Operating' muna-.liens be-- tweensaid parts.

7. ln power transmttng meclnusu, the

'combination with a drivi member and a driven member, of interin integering for Operating the driven member at dfl'eret speeds relative tothe drivig member, and

fluid pressure mechanism operated by the driviug member for controllingthe speed of the driven member without disconnectigj any of saidgearing.

8. In power transmttng mechansm, the

- combination with a plurality of rotary members, a train of gearsforminga connection between said members, fluid motors carred by sadmembers, and means operated by said motors :for varying the relativespeed of said members without bre akmg said connection.

9. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a stationarysupport, ofa plurality of rotary members, earing between said members,clutch mei erable to clutch said -members to said support and todisengage them from the support and connect them together, andmeans forOperating said clutch mechanism by fluidpressure.

10. In power transmission mechanism, the combination with a casing; of apluralty of members rotatable within the casing, clutch mechanismcarried by one of said members and operable to disconnect it fromthecasing and connect it with the other member or vice versa, and afluid motor for Operating said clutch mechanism.

`1.1. In power transmitting mechanism,the combination with a-rotarymember, of'inner and outer expansion clutches carried thereby, afluid motor carried by said member,

andpperating connections between the motor wand said clutches.

12. 'In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a stationarycylindrical casing, of a member rotatableuwithin the casing, a rotatabledisk provided with an annular flange adj acent said member, expansionclutches carried by said member and movable into frictional contact withthe cassure.

ing and said flan e respectively, and means for Operating sai 13. Inpower transmitting mechanism, the' combination with a casing, of a trainof gears comprising rotary members within the casing, clutch mechanismoperable to connect said members with the casing, and

means for Operating said clutch mechanism by liquid pressure.

p 14. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a train ofgears, of clutch combination anism op- I clutches by liquid presnechaisoperablc to vary the relative speed of 'said gome, and means brOperating the clutch mo-lurnisn by liquid pressurer 15. .in powertrusmission mechanism, the ith a driving member and a driven mem er, ofa train of gears forming a drivig connectiobetween said members, andmeans operable by fluid pressure to suc-` cessively interlock gears insaid train.

16. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a drive shaft,of a plurality of rotary disks mounted thereon, clutch niechanismcarried by the disks, fluid motors operatively connected to the clutchmechanism, means for -supplying fluid pressure to the motors, and asingle train of gearng controlled by said dsks.

' 17. ln power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a hollowdrive shaft, of members rotatably mounted thereon, clutch mechanismcarried by said members, motor pistons connected to the clutchmechanism, individual means for supplying a fluid under pressure throughthe hollow drive shaft to" the several motor pistons, and gearingcontrolled by said members.

18. In power transmtting mechanism, the combination with a drive shaftand a' driven element, of a train of gearing interposed between saidparts, clutch mechanism associated with said gearing, liquid motors foroperating said clutch mechanism a pump connected to be driven by thedrive shaft, and individual means' for transmitting liquid pressure fromthe pump to any desired number of said motors.

19. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a'drive shaft,of a train of 'gearing comprising a -plurality of rotary members, clutchmechanism carried by said members, liquid motors connected to theclutchmechanism, a pump connected-to the drive shaft, and valvemechanism o erable to successively connectthe motors with the pressureside-of the' pump and maintain the motors collectively in suchconnection.

20. In power transmitting mechanism the combination with a casing, of alubricating fluid within the casing, a driving member, powertransmitting apparatus within' the casing, clutch mechansm associated'therewith, a pump connected to said driving member and operabletocirculate said lubricating fluid, motors ,for Operating said clutchmechanism, and means for transmitting fluid pressure' from the pump tothe motors. p

21. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a casing, ofclutch mechanism therein, a driving member, a pump located within thecasing and connected to the driving member, a pressure chamber,motorsfor Operating the clutch mechanism, passages leading from themotors to the pressure chamber, a valve, and means for moving the valveinto position' to successively cut ofl' said pa'ssages from the pressurechamber.

22. In power transmtting apparatus, the combination with a stationarycasing, of a lubricating liquid therein, a drive shaft extending in thecasing, a train of gearing connected to the drive shaft, clutchmechanism controlling said gearing, motors connected to the clutchmechanism, a pump, a pressure chamber in communication with the pressure'side of the pump, ducts leading from the motors to the pressurechamber, a slide valve, means located outside of the 'casing formovingsaid valve into positions to successively cut off said`ducts fromthe ressure chamber, and a relief valve openng from the pressure ehamberinto the casing. I

23. In power transmitting mechanism, the combination with a cylindricalcasing, of a shaft extending through the center of the casing, bearingsfor the shaft, a' plu-ality of cylindrical members mounted on the shaft,gears carried by said members, gea's mount ed directly on the shaft andco-acting with the first named gears, clutch mechanism carv ried by saidcylindrical members and operable byfluid pressure, and pumping mech--anism operable to supplyfiuid pressu'e to the clutch mechanism;

24.'The combination with a driving element and a driven element, of atrain of gears connecting said elements, clutch mechanism controllingthe relative movement of said gears and operable to vary the relative.speed of said .elements without breaking said connections, and means forOperating said cltch mechanism by liquid pressure.

25. In power transmisson mechanism, the combinaton with a casing, of aplurality of members rotat-able within" the casing, clutch mechanismcarried by one of said members and operable to disconnect from the casng'and connect with the other member or vice versa, power transmittingmeans forming a connection between said members, and a fluid motor forOperating said clutch mechanism.

26,. In power transmitting mechanism, the combinaton 'with a stationarycylindrical casing, of a member rotatable within the casing, a rotatabledisk provided with an annular flange adjacent said member, expansionclutches carried by saidmember, and movable into frictional contact withsaid casing and saidflange respectively, gearing forming a drivingconnection be- &63,092

tween said disk and rotatable member, and means -for Operating saidclutches by liquid pressure.

' 27. In a power transmission device, the

combinationof a driving member and a drven member, power transmittingmechanism between sad members, a fluid pres-` sure motor connected tothe driving member, and means operated by fiuid pressure supplied bysaid motor for changing the speed and power transmitted between 'saidmembers. V i

28. In power transmission mechanism, the combination of a -drivingmember and a driven member,'-of gearing between saidmembers, clutchmechanism controlling the mechanisms, .a pump, means for conveying fluidfrom the pump to said motors, a valve I movable from an initial positioninto positions. to successivel connect the motors on the pressure side othe pump and maintain such connections unt-il the Valve is moved backtoward initial position, and gearing controlled by said clutchmechanism.

30. The combination with a driving element. and a driven element, of atrain of gearing forming a mechanical driving connection between saidelements, means for supplying fluid pressure, and means operable by saidfluid pressure for varying the relative V speed of said elements withoutbreaking said connection.

31. In ower transmitting mechanismthe combinaton with a driving memberand a driven member, of a train of gears connecting said members, fluidpressure generating means, and means operated by said fluid pressure foreffecting a variation in the relative movement of the gears withoutbreaking said connection.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in'thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- AUGUST SUNDH.-

witnesses:

JOHN F. RULE,

t J. A. SUrLIs I.

